This invention relates to systems for locating mobile units arranged for radio data communications with fixed devices, such as access points, using a wireless data communications protocol, such as IEEE Standard 802.11. In particular the invention relates to such systems wherein radio signal characteristics within an area wherein the mobile units operate, such as a factory, warehouse, school, hospital, retail establishment or other facility, are calibrated and stored in a database. Mobile units are located within the area by sampling radio communication characteristics between the mobile units and a plurality of access points, and comparing the sampled signals to the database. The characteristics may be signal strength as received by the access points, for example using the RSSI function of Standard 802.11 or may be time of arrival.
Typically such systems do not have calibrated values of signal characteristic for every possible location within the area. Often location must be determined by extrapolation between calibrated locations. Further, radio signal characteristics in many areas, particularly indoor areas are effected by signal fading, multipath and blockage. According any sample of signal characteristics can result in an ambiguous determination of location, since the effects of radio propagation may cause more than one location to have similar signal characteristics.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for locating mobile units, wherein location of the mobile units is tracked between radio signal samples to resolve ambiguous determinations of mobile unit location.